


Paging Dr. Santiago

by HappyFaceTheCreator



Series: Paging Dr. Santiago [1]
Category: Desert Bluffs - Fandom, Strex Family - Fandom, Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Dr. Noah Santiago - Freeform, HappyFaceTheCreator, Paging Dr. Santiago
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-26
Updated: 2015-02-26
Packaged: 2018-03-15 08:57:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3441200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HappyFaceTheCreator/pseuds/HappyFaceTheCreator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We follow our favorite smiling doctor in a rather extraordinarily, ordinary day in Desert Bluffs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paging Dr. Santiago

With the stale scent of dried blood lingering in the air, Dr. Santiago had taken a deep breath, inhaling the organic odor. He released his breath to let it mingle with the stagnant stench of the aged bodily fluid. The slim man eyeballed the room around him through his black rimmed bifocals. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he let out quick huff and walked toward a dusty off-green file cabinet with a stutter in his stride. His right hand clenched a gold-plated, thin black cane to keep his posture stable and upright, which clicked as he brought it down like a third leg. The file cabinet was slightly rusted and let out an ear piercing shriek as it was opened. The doctor thumbed through beige folders with the texture of construction paper and fished out a file with the name Kevin R. Free scratched on the label. He opened the folder that let out a generous puff of dust escape from the pages and noticed that all the information was struck out with magic marker that left an overwhelming aroma of mistake.

Dr. Santiago chuckled internally. He quickly licked his thumb and ran it along the dark lines, which to the surprise of everything except him, vanished like disappearing ink. He read the information and it hit him like a freight train. The forbidden knowledge bounced around making his temples throb. He shut the file and jumped as a crimson drop smacked against the Manila folder. Santiago felt his nose and cringed when he felt something cool and wet. Bringing his fingers away from his face, a shiver crept up the doctor’s spine at the sight of his own blood. He quickly rubbed his fingertips together to smear the blood away and was just about to shut the file cabinet when another folder caught his eye. This file had a different name on it with much neater and nicer handwriting. The lettering was in purple highlighter and had a flourish-y cursive to it which read “ _Cecil G. Palmer_ ”. Santiago took the two files and hid them within his lab attire. He slid the cabinet closed that howled from rust and age. He left the dim and dingy room in a hurry and was blinded by the incandescent lights in the next room from contrast of the low-level light he was encased in. While walking sightlessly through the corridor he bumped into a rather short figure that almost got knocked over from his force.

“ _Oh my! Pardon me, sir.." a friendly voice chimed from the figure. The doctor’s eyes were still adjusting to the brightness. "Hey, aren’t you-_ "

Santiago rubbed his eyes and was taken back. If he couldn’t have determined a sex by voice alone, looking at this person wasn’t any help. This person was not actually short, in fact he was the same height as the doctor. This person’s hair was a dusty blonde with brownish-maroon stains throughout it.

" _I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t see where I was walking._ ", Santiago stuttered. Those eyes, empty and dark, where had I seen those before? And teeth…oh those jagged, horribly sharp teeth, and yet, they were contained in a smile.

" _You’re Noah Santiago, right? Oh, what a pleasure it is to run into you. I’m Kevin! I’m a friend of your family._ ", his voice was calm and sincere, even with his face stained with blood. _Family_.

”Y-Yeah, I know who you are..”, he gulped and shifted his stance. “ _Do you need something?_ ”

The man cocked his head to the side, “ _Uh..mm-no nothing I could think of. Do you need something, doctor? You seem to be..leaking._ ” he pointed to Santiago’s bloodied nose.

“No no, I’m fine. Just a minor nosebleed, nothing to worry about.”, he said as a deep red drop hit pearly white, unstained coat.

Kevin’s eyes lit up as much as his sockets of void could, “ _Wow!_ ”, he exclaimed and reached for the doctor’s nose.

Santiago swatted his hand away and stepped back, “ _I-I have to go…Nice meeting you._ ” he shuffled off, holding himself to keep the files in place. 

“ _It was nice meeting you too, friend!_ " Kevin called after him.

 Santiago snorted, “ _Friend?_ ”he said to himself, “ _That creature has another thing coming if he thinks I’m his friend_.”

The doctor pushed his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose, turning the corner he continued down a dimly lit hallway. He hastily looked around himself stepping quickly towards a rather large black door and swiftly took out his lightly-blue tinted access card with a dark StrexCorp logo embedded into it, pressed it against the wall scanner, then slipped it back into his pocket. A green light blinked and a slot next to the scanner slid open. The man sighed and stuck his thumb in the slot and winced as a thin needle pricked his finger. A light within the slot then lit up green as Santiago’s blood was recognized, withdrawing his digit he began to suck on it as the obsidian black door escaped within the wall, then shut behind him once he stepped inside.

Santiago took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of lavender and paperwork, the scent that normally lingers around in the room. He held his breath for a moment as he gazed around his office, analyzing every detail about the room. The stack of papers leaning slightly to the right on his charred oak desk that smelled of matches and mahogany. The coat rack beside said desk that held only a black hat, never worn before (come to think of it, no one knows how or when it ever got there), and Santiago’s stethoscope. The crack in the granite tile that met with the corner of his Colette area rug in the center of this room.  _Exhale_. The doctor scurried to his burnt tabletop and threw down the files from within his clothing, hung up his cane, and took a seat in his rust brown Stiletto chair and thumbed through the folders of information.

 ” _Cecil…who_ are  _you?_ ”Santiago felt his chin for a beard to scratch and came up dry, so he just held his jaw. The words on the paper seeped into his brain through his eyeballs. “ _It says here that you are the host of the Night Vale Community Radio._ ”He chuckled, “ _That would certainly explain a lot about you._ ”Santiago’s eyes shifted to a picture attached to the documents. This man had an enlightening demeanor to him. Just looking at the suave, yet business-casual attire around that fit, narrow body of his sent Santiago’s blood pressure skyrocketing. He felt Cecil’s two-dimensional hair and noticed his fingertips beginning to heat up. The doctor drew back his trembling hand then realized his breathing had become rapid and shallow. “ _My, My…You are quite the hottie, Cecil._ ”He giggled an authentic, schoolgirl-in-heat giggle and straightened his posture afterward. Clearing his throat he adjusted his tie and removed the photograph from the file which was then slipped into an inner pocket of his coat. Santi closed the folder and went to reach for the other document just as there was a knocking coming from the opposite side of the door. His heart stopped at the same moment his hand did.

” _Brother? Are you in there?_ ”

The voice stopped Santiago right where he was.  _Brother._ It was a sibling of his, but  _who_? Without thinking, he grabbed both Manila folders and slid them into the drawer beside his stomach. The sound of an access card being acknowledge bled through the door.

” _Who could it-_ " Noah stopped himself before he finished the thought, he already knew who it was.

” _OW!_ " the voice broke the doctor’s train of thought. A chime from the wall scanner and the door slid open, showcasing Santiago’s long, braided-haired brethren, sucking on his thumb.

  
” _THERE YOU ARE!_ " they both said simultaneously.

Luciano hesitated for a second, but shook off the coincidence. “ _I’ve been looking all over for you!_ " he said, pushing his glasses up onto the bridge of his nose. Luciano had on his mandatory lab attire just like his brother. The resemblance between the two was always uncanny, but never unexpected. They even sounded alike and, at times, it was even confusing to them.

” _I-I’ve been here, Luc… What was it that you needed?_ " Santiago hesitated. Luciano gave him a look of disbelief and started to say something, but stopped. Santiago tilted his head to the side, trying to see an answer at a new angle.

Luciano scratched his head, looking off to the side, “ _I-_ " he stopped and sighed. " _It’s none of my business what you do behind closed doors, Santiago, but I came in looking for you earlier and you weren’t here. Then I ran into a friend in the hallway.”_ Santiago glanced back at the oak desk then back at his brother, he knew he was caught. “ _…And he told me that he saw you coming from the file room._ " Luciano tried to look around Noah at his desk, but his view was blocked by his brother’s dark locks.

Santiago saw this and shifted to reveal an empty desk, this act did not fool Luciano. ” _Noah, whatever it is you’re doing is no-_ " he started.

” _None of your concern, like you said.._ " Noah cut him off before he finished his thought, which was actually both of their thoughts. They both knew they held secrets, they did not however, know the secrets themselves.

Luciano paused, “ _…Right…But I still worry about you._ " he stepped closer to his sibling.

” _That is no longer your job, brother._ " the last word coming out of Santiago’s mouth like profanity. He kept his eyes trained on Luciano’s as they got closer to him.

Luciano eyed his brother’s cane hanging up and went to touch it when a sharp pain cut through his head like a sword. He suppressed this by shutting his eyes tightly, “ _Look, whatever it is you are getting involved with… I hope you’re using extreme caution and-_ " he opened his beautifully dark eyes and focused on the security camera in the corner of the room. " _…and being ‘productive’_.” he finished the statement setting his eyes again on his brother.

Santiago took the hint and glanced at the security camera then down to the crack in the floor to avoid any suspicion. He looked back at Luciano with a faint smile, “ _I’ll have you know, Luci.._ " His brother scoffed, he hated being called that. " _I always take intense precaution with everything I do._ " Santiago stood up, using his desk as support, " _Now. If you want to be of any assistance to me.._ " He took the cane from the coat hanger and propped himself up with it,  _"You’ll point me in the direction of that friend of your’s._ ”

Luciano bit his lip and tapped his foot repetitively, " _Fine._ " he sighed and turned toward the door, his lab coat flowing freely behind him, like his hair. Santiago accompanied his brother our of his office, smiling as they caught eyes before stepping out into the hallway.

The hallways in the StrexCorp Laboratories were always blindingly bright. They had once, about a millennium ago, or so, a power outage in Desert Bluffs. This did not effect the lights in the hallways, if anything, they were brighter than before. Now, the fluorescent light hummed quietly above the off-white floors, filling the air with a scent almost like burnt almonds and hydrogen peroxide. The heels of the two brothers clicked in unison down the endless corridors.

" _So you know Kevin. Quite the character, huh?_ " Luciano chuckled to himself, but with the emptiness of the hallway, it was to the both of them.

" _Yes. I ran into him earlier today. Literally._ " Noah had a chuckle of his own, but much quieter than his brother's.

" _Can I ask why you need to see him?_ " Luc glanced over at him as they turned a corner and continued on.

" _You can.._ " Santiago started.

Luciano had dealt with this trick before, " _Should I?_ " he questioned.

" _Uhm..mm-probably not._ " his brother replied, gesturing toward a door with a sign " _cafeteria_ " above it and Luciano shook his head.

" _I had a grape earlier._ " Luciano added, he nodded toward another door down the hall with a sign above that read " _wardrobe_ ".

" _A whole grape? Wow, Luc, that's not like you. You don't have an eating disorder, do you?_ " Santiago joked, catching Luciano's gaze and eyed the door. " _Wardrobe? Since when do we have one of those?_ "

Luciano shrugged, " _Beats me, but we have one._ " His hand gripped the door knob and felt a warmth coming off of it. He turned it and opened up to a wave of heat.

Inside, Kevin was trying on a pale, dandelion colored poncho with orange swirls of tentacles neatly placed along the bottom of it. The warm colors radiated from the contrast of the clothing and his body. His sharp-tooth smile refracted off the mirror he watched himself in and nearly blinded the two brothers. Noah and Luciano squinted against the iridescent smile, using their hands as shields for their eyes. Kevin saw this in the mirror and took it as them getting his attention in some funny way.

" _Hello there, friends!_ " Kevin greeted, turning around to show off his freshly donned festive attire.

The lab-coated duo lowered their hands revealing their glass-lens covered eyes. " _Hello Kevin!_ " Luciano beamed as the two ran to each other, enclosing one another in a warm hug. Steam rose up from the shoulders of Luciano that were covered by lab coat, when they released their embrace Luciano had a pearly white lab coat, free of any previous stains. Santiago stood a bit away from them and raised an eyebrow.

" _Uh..Hi..Kevin._ " Noah gave him a small wave.

Kevin and Luciano relinquished their embrace and Kevin lit up, " _Mr. Santiago!_ " he skip-ran to Noah and picked him up in his arms.

For as tall as the doctor was, he was awfully light. His cane was pressed against his side as the radio host held him tightly. Santiago could feel his whole body heat up, like bread being placed into a toaster. Kevin brushed his head against Santiago's shoulder, a sizzling sound all too familiar to the both of them, rose from the flowing locks and slithered into Noah's ear.

" _Ah!_ " The doctor yelped and jumped back from Kevin, frantically checking his hair for any damage.

Kevin had a look of worry and guilt on his face, " _Oh, I'm so sorry, friend!_ " he touched his lip, trying to see any harm he may have done to his friend. A luminous sparkle of red started to well up in his black eyes.

Noah felt his hair which, luckily, wasn't severely burned like he imagined. Not burned at all, but to his surprise the ends were straightened into long strands that resembled black licorice. " _Oh!_ " he said out loud, thinking that he thought it.

Luciano, another long-hair aficionado, had a panicked look in his eyes as he felt his brother's anxiety. His grief turned to relief as he noticed that his sibling's hair wasn't burnt and the air didn't reek of scorched hay. He actually smiled and took a handful of Santiago's newly straightened hair that was still warm, " _Hey, this isn't too bad of a look for you, mi hermano._ " Luciano brushed his brother's cheek with his hair.

" _Stop that!_ " Noah took his hair back, looking it over again. He valued his hair more than anything he could think of, aside from his darling children, and this became more apparent as his attention was solely directed to his locks.

Kevin cautiously stepped toward the doctor, " _I-I really am sorry, Mr. Santiago._ " he said, reaching for him.

Santiago slapped his hand away, which stung a bit, and gave him a look of pure hatred. " _It's Doctor! DR. SANTIAGO, YOU CRETIN!_ " he shouted at the meek radio host, he voice reverberating off the walls of the wardrobe. His eyes widened and he felt his lip, in shock of how he had just responded to a harmless mistake. " _I-I_ " Noah started to say, but couldn't find the words to explain his regret.

Kevin sniffed, " _I'm sorry..Dr. Santiago._ " a red tear streaked his face vertically from his eyes and reflected in Noah's wet eyes. He ran out of the room labeled "wardrobe" with crimson tears following him out the double doors, which slammed shut behind him making Noah jump.

Luciano grimaced as he saw his hurt friend evacuating the area of immense disapproval and slapped Noah's shoulder, " _Hey, Dr. Dickface!_ "

Santiago turned around to face his brother, " _Luciano, I didn't-_ "

" _You barked at him like a dog, Noah! He just met you and you call him names and shout at him? What is your problem?_ "

" _Brother, I-_ "

" _Go apologize! Right now, Noah, go!_ " He turned Santiago around and pushed him towards the door.

Santiago opened the door a crack and looked back at Luciano.

" _GO!_ " He pointed past him. " _And mean it for Smiling God's sake!_ "

Santiago dropped his head low and stepped out into the hall, looking up and around for the radio host who was nowhere to be found.


End file.
